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PUEBLO, Colo. (January 5, 2016)– Bringing a 13-0 record into 2017, the No. 9 ranked Colorado State University Women's Basketball team opens the New Year with road games at South Dakota School of Mines Friday and Black Hills State University Saturday. The Pack's battle with the Hardrockers Friday begins at 5:30 p.m. and they will meet the Yellow Jackets Saturday at 4 p.m.

The ThunderWolves lead the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with a 13-0 record overall and a 7-0 mark in conference games. They beat Black Hills State 66-55 in their last outing Dec. 30.

The "Starting Five" - CSU-Pueblo's Top Storylines

1) CSU-Pueblo was ranked No. 9 in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and D-II Sports Information Directors Association polls. In the inaugural NCAA.com power rankings, released Wednesday, they were ranked No. 8. The Pack is one of just six unbeaten teams left in D-II.

2. After an 18-for-20 performance at the line against Black Hills State, the Pack ranks ninth in the nation in free throw shooting. As a team, the ThunderWolves make 78.3 percent of their shots from the charity stripe. Six Pack players shoot 83 percent or better of their free throws.

3) Defensively, the ThunderWolves rank 14th in the country in field goal percentage defense. Opponents shoot just 33.5 percent against the Pack. Conference opponents have made just 29.8 percent of their tries from the field against the ThunderWolves.

4) Molly Rohrer (So., Greenwood Village, Colo.) has rejected 31 shots so far in 2016-17, the 14th highest total in Division II. Rohrer's 2.4 blocks per game ranks 15th nationally. She enters the weekend with 98 career blocks. With two more rejections, she would become only the fifth player with 100 blocks in school history.

5) The Pack owns the RMAC's best offense, scoring 74.2 points per game, almost four points better than any other school. The Pack has beaten opponents by an average of 14.8 points. They are defeating conference foes by 17.3 points per game, over five points better than any other school in the RMAC. The ThunderWolves have won all seven of their RMAC games by double digits.

Notes

-Katie Cunningham (Jr., Aurora, Colo.) leads the RMAC in rebounding. She pulls down 9.4 boards per game. She ranks second in the conference with 4.6 assists per game. Her 20 steals per game places her third in the RMAC. In conference games, Cunningham's 2.8 assists to turnover ratio leads the RMAC.

-Lauren Heyn (So., Loomis, Calif.) did not miss a single shot against the Yellow Jackets, going 5-for-5 from the field and hitting 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Heyn has made 53.5 percent of her shots in RMAC games, the fourth best average in the conference.

- Tuileisu Anderson (Jr., Vancouver, Wash.) ranks second in the RMAC in scoring with 17.8 points per game. Her 40 three-pointer made this season ranks 11th in D-II. She is shooting 50.6 percent from the field in conference games.

- The Pack shoots a conference-best 43.0 percent from the field. They rank second in the RMAC by making 34.9 percent of their shots from downtown.

Scouting South Dakota Mines:

-The Hardrockers bring a 5-8 overall record into Friday's game. They have won two straight games and now hold a 3-5 mark in conference games.

- South Dakota Mines won the only previous meeting between the Pack and Hardrockers. They came away with a 55-51 win in the inaugural game between the two schools last season at Massari Arena.

- Megan Rohrer, older sister of Pack center Molly Rohrer, leads the Hardrockers with 9.2 points per game. Her 1.5 blocks per game also tops all other South Dakota Mines players.

- Krista Showalter leads the RMAC with 5.0 assists per game. As a team, South Dakota Mines ranks second in the RMAC with 15.2 assists per game.

- In conference games, the Hardrockers have managed just 32.4 rebounds per game. This is the second worst average in the RMAC.

Scouting Black Hills State:

- The Yellow Jackets stand 3-9 overall. They have a 3-5 record in RMAC games.

- CSU-Pueblo leads the all-time series against Black Hills State 8-3. The Pack beat the Yellow Jackets 66-55 just six days ago.

- Black Hills State leads the RMAC with 9.6 steals per game. They had nine steals in the first meeting between the two teams.

- Cheyenne Balster ranks eighth in the RMAC in field goal percentage, making 46.4 percent of her shots from the field. Balster also has a presence defensively with 1.1 blocks per game, seventh most in the RMAC.

- The Yellow Jackets are the worst 3-point shooting team in the conference, making just 24.8 percent from downtown. Black Hills State also has the worst 3-point shooting defense in the conference. They allow opponents to make 37.3percent from beyond the arc. Black Hills went 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) from deep in the first meeting.

Following this two-game road trip, the ThunderWolves will return home to face Metro State University Denver Friday Jan. 13. Tip off at Massari Arena is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics